How Apple's Marketing Revolution Began - 80 Vintage Ads

February 22, 2012

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We have gathered a collection of 80 Cool Vintage Ads from Apple that span over a period of 22 years from 1977 to 1999. Therefore, in this article you’ll be able to see how Apple managed to turn itself from a garage company to a huge corporation, through marketing techniques.

Apple’s Strategy

From the beginning, Apple tried to enter the market by presenting itself as a producer of personal computers, which, of course, was an odd term back then. Well, if you’re asking yourselves why?, you might consider the fact that there wasn’t an actual need for personal (no, not demand, need!) computers. So, over the years Apple focused on creating a “need” for people to have personal computers. For most people, Apple products seemed expensive and unnecessary.

How did they put it in practice

Well, it wasn’t easy. In contrast with what happens today, when Apple associates its products with fun, in the 70s and at the beginning of the 80s, Apple was building its marketing strategy by trying to sell computers, which first of all, would have diminished your work load. (This is best expressed by the Henry Ford, Thomas Jefferson and Orville Wright campaigns). That means that Apple was trying to make its products look useful and in the process it was trying to convince freelancers or small investors (see also Apple’s II introduction ad from the 1977). Similarly, Apple was trying to demonstrate that you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know how to use a computer (Apple II Simplicity Brochure). Therefore, the idea of simplicity that we also find today has its roots back in the 70s.

From usefulness to fun

Starting from 1984, with the Apple II “Why every kid should have an Apple after school,” campaign the company began to switch its strategy from usefulness to fun. From now on, the company wants its products to be seen both as fun and useful. Nevertheless, the overwhelming majority of the ads were still showing the technical capabilities of the Mac.

The 1990s

The 1990s was the decade when Apple gained a comparative advantage in the personal computers field by portraying their products as cool, innovative, fun and well designed (1998 – Chic. Not Geek campaign, 1999 – the Thrill of Surfing campaign and so forth). Furthermore, it was the 1990s who triggered the famous Think different slogan. From this point one, the road they’ve taken seems irreversible and will steadily transform Apple into the huge company that it is today.

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